{"id":319,"date":"2015-01-21T08:45:55","date_gmt":"2015-01-21T15:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/journeyinstitute.org\/blog\/?p=319"},"modified":"2015-01-21T08:45:55","modified_gmt":"2015-01-21T15:45:55","slug":"the-state-of-respect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devjourneyinstitute.com\/ji\/index.php\/2015\/01\/21\/the-state-of-respect\/","title":{"rendered":"The State of … Respect"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Respect\"<\/a>As soon as I was old enough to understand what the State of the Union was, I watched in awe as the President of the United States spoke to Congress and, through television, the American people. I didn\u2019t necessarily understand, at that young age, what the specifics were that the President was saying, but I was awed by the grandeur of it all.<\/p>\n

Sadly as I\u2019ve grown older, my childhood illusion, like so many others, has been shattered by the reality of what the State of the Union has become.<\/p>\n

There is little, if anything, that is Grand about it. It has become a show, a play, in which all the actors in the room have a part. For the past several Presidents who have given their State of the Union speeches, I have watched as the \u2018actors\u2019 in the audience play their parts.<\/p>\n

I was raised to believe that the Office of the President of the United States was something to be respected whether or not you agreed with the person who held it. Growing up, I\u2019ve watched each year as every President begins talking and those on the other side of the isle clap with disdain and outwardly disrespect the highest office in the land. Democrats do it to Republican Presidents and Republicans do it to Democrat Presidents.<\/p>\n

Everyone is in on it. They\u2019re all actors playing a part in the show for the cameras.<\/p>\n

Everyone in Washington has read the speech well before the President walks in the room. One could argue that even those in attendance in the audience are given little respect since they already know what\u2019s going to be said and in many ways must sit through the performance and wait to be prompted to play their choreographed roles.<\/p>\n

The media has already polled people and have their sound bites ready to go the minute the speech is over. Cameras zoom in on reactions, or non-reactions of those in the audience, or to make sure there is enough focus on who\u2019s wearing what dress or which shoes. There is no respect. It\u2019s all about the ratings.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most of all, it\u2019s we the people who are shown the greatest disrespect. Days before the speech, every President leaks portions of their speech and the fighting begins. The media dissects each nuance of every word so that by the time the State of the Union is televised even we all have a pretty good idea of what the President will say and have already heard the arguments from both sides about why whatever point will or will not work.<\/p>\n

And just in case we haven\u2019t, immediately following the speech we are barraged with another choreographed play and a lineup of opinions and after-speeches, of how many ovations or yawns, of dignitaries and snubs in attendance, and of course the strong condemnations or rousing support for each point in the speech.<\/p>\n

I was raised to respect my elders. To respect those who held public office as they were the \u201cservants of the people\u201d. No one told me it was all a show.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s time to change the show.<\/p>\n

Yes, the constitution demands that the President should address a Joint Session of Congress, but I\u2019m not sure the intent was to put on a play.<\/p>\n

Maybe the State of the Union should be from the Oval Office. No cheering or jeering crowds, no special guests, no close up cameras on who\u2019s wearing what.<\/p>\n

Maybe the State of the Union should just be the President, talking to American\u2019s\u2026 all American\u2019s including those in Congress\u2026 about how they see the country and what they want to do next.<\/p>\n

No advance leaks of the speech.<\/p>\n

Everyone gets to see and hear it live. Just let us all hear what the President has to say, authentically.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s time to respect the people and stop putting on a show that no one believes and we\u2019ve all seen before. As if somehow putting on this poorly acted, produced, and directed show will miraculously cause all of us to give more respect to the actors.<\/p>\n

After all, I learned something else growing up as well. \u201cRespect is earned, not given\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

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\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Christy Belz,\u00a0<\/strong>MSW\u00a0is the author of \u201cOh God of Second Chances, Here I am again.<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n

Christy is an empowerment coach and entrepreneur who is passionate about guiding people to live their best, most authentic selves personally, professionally and developmentally.<\/p>\n

Named one of\u00a0Colorado\u2019s Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business\u00a0in 2020, she is also a TEDx Speaker and a co-curator of TEDxCherryCreek, through which she encourages women to share their voice. Founder of the transformational\u00a0UPROOT<\/strong>\u00a0course, she can often be found reading the latest book in the personal growth and leadership genres or walking her dog in nature while keeping an eye out for heart-shaped leaves.<\/p>\n

Christy lives in Denver with her husband and son.<\/p>\n

Life Happens.<\/strong>\u00a0We make mistakes or maybe aren\u2019t our best selves. Sometimes the universe slams us with cosmic two-by-fours as a wake-up call to what we are (or aren\u2019t) doing. The question is not whether you will be knocked down by life. The question is\u00a0how do you get back up again?<\/p>\n

Oh God of Second Chances, Here I Am Again<\/em>\u00a0is a book about what it takes to get back up again.<\/p>\n

Through the vulnerable and honest journey of her own life experience, Christy takes readers on a journey of falling down and getting back up again with compassion and humor. Packed with tools to help you cultivate resilience, courage, authenticity, and find your way to come home to yourself.<\/p>\n

With each step along the journey a tapestry of hope emerges. Suddenly, there\u2019s a way forward, regardless of the struggles that lay ahead.<\/p>\n

Christy, a seasoned social worker, draws on literary inspiration, research, and the wisdom of mystics, as well as women TEDx speakers who know a thing or two about falling down and getting back up again. Filled with exercises to help foster personal growth and the lessons she has learned from a lifetime of helping others get back up again and again; what emerges is a community you didn\u2019t realize you needed to face this messy thing called life.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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NOW AVAILABLE<\/h3>\n

Oh God of Second Chances<\/h1>\n

Here I Am Again<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\u201c<\/strong>A masterclass in courage, if you\u2019ve ever wondered how to live well, this is the book you\u2019ve been waiting for.\u201d<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\u2013 Laura Thomas, Author of\u00a0The Magic of Thinking Big<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\u201cA masterclass in courage, if you\u2019ve ever wondered how to live well, this is the book you\u2019ve been waiting for. With heartfelt wisdom and an infectious, humble sense of humor, Christy Belz made me feel like I was sitting down with my best friend to take honest, yet gentle, stock of my life.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0Laura Thomas, author of\u00a0The Magic of Well-Being<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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